Dr. Paul Armstrong gives the 2013 Louis and Dorothy Kovitz Visiting Professorship Lecture
Wednesday, December 4th, 2013, 8:00 – 9:00 am
Department of Medicine Medical Grand Rounds
Title: "Acute Myocardial Infarction 2013: Reflections of a Clinical Investigator"
Paul Armstrong is a Distinguished University Professor with the Department of Medicine (Cardiology) and Mazankowski Heart Institute at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and the Director of the Canadian VIGOUR Centre (Virtual Coordinating Centre for Global Collaborative Cardiovascular Research). Dr. Armstrong received his medical degree at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario and after post-graduate training at Queen’s and the University of Toronto, he undertook further training in cardiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School and St. George’s Hospital, London, UK. From 1972 until 1984 he served as the first Director of the Coronary Care Unit at Kingston General Hospital, Queen’s University. In 1984, he assumed the position of Chief of Cardiology at St. Michael’s Hospital and Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. From 1993 to 1999, he served as Professor and Chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of Alberta.
His research foci have developed along two major lines of inquiry. The first involves the study of the pathophysiology and novel therapeutic approaches of congestive heart failure using an experimental model as well as undertaking clinical investigative studies. The second involves the pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of acute coronary syndromes where he is widely recognised for a leadership role in the development of national and international clinical trials involving innovative strategies. He has played a lead role and served in multiple executive positions in large-scale international clinical trials of novel strategies in cardiovascular disease that have helped to enhance the care of patients worldwide. He has fostered an approach to acute myocardial infarction that has been seminal in transforming prehospital care as it relates to multidisciplinary collaborative diagnosis and therapy of acute cardiac conditions. He has also played, and continues to play, a major leadership role on a number of key data safety monitoring boards that have impacted on the development of cardiovascular medicine. Dr. Armstrong frequently serves as visiting professor and invited lecturer in institutions and at major scientific meetings both in Canada and internationally. He is the author or co-author of over 600 peer reviewed publications and a member of a number of editorial boards including the American Heart Journal, the European Heart Journal, Circulation Heart Failure and is a guest editor for Circulation and JACC Heart Failure. He currently serves in a variety of key advisory roles; formerly on the FDA Cardiovascular and Renal Drug Advisory Committee and the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association’s ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction Guidelines Writing Committee.
Dr. Armstrong has made a lifelong commitment to the education and training of healthcare professionals and received numerous awards for mentoring trainees and faculty: this has been a key signature of his career for which he is recognized both nationally and internationally. Additionally he has received the Research Achievement Award of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, the Award of Merit from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and the Prix Galien Canada Research Award for significant contribution to pharmaceutical research in Canada. In 2007, he received the J. Gordin Kaplan Award for excellence in research at the University of Alberta and in 2008 the Christie Award from the Canadian Association of Professors of Medicine recognizing his outstanding contributions to academic medicine. In 2011, he received an award for Excellence in Humanism from the University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry.
The University of Alberta awarded Dr. Armstrong the title of “University Professor” in 2006 (and subsequently “Distinguished University Professor” in 2009) for his outstanding distinction in each of the areas of scholarly research, teaching, and service to the university and the community at large.
Dr. Armstrong was the founding President of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS) and in 2012 an annual lecture was named in his honour by the Academy. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He is currently a Senior Attending Cardiologist at the University of Alberta Hospital.